The mountain forest was plunged into chaos.
Some veterans advanced with blades raised, trying to carve a path forward.
Others ran desperately down the slope, stumbling over roots and stones.
Cries echoed through the trees.
Then the sound of metal cutting through the air silenced everything for an instant.
"Totsuka…"
The blade moved first.
A clean cut sliced through the air.
One of the veterans didn't even understand what had happened before dropping to his knees.
Another tried to react.
The sword traced a new arc beneath the cold light of the moon.
"…no…"
The second body collapsed against the damp earth.
The third tried to run.
Too late.
The blade flashed one last time.
"…Tsurugi."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Éreon let out a low sigh.
Moonlight illuminated his silhouette — and the lifeless bodies scattered around him.
His black eyes turned toward the top of the mountain.
The survivors were still running toward the summit.
For a moment, he remained still.
A cloud slowly crossed the sky, covering the moon.
The light disappeared.
When the brightness returned…
Éreon was no longer there.
Not far from there, among uneven rocks that rose like broken teeth in the wasteland, two newcomers remained hidden.
The numbers pinned to their chests glowed faintly in the moonlight.
22 and 199.
Number 199 was leaning against a rock, breathing far too fast.
"Do you think…" he whispered "…that he saw us?"
Number 22 kept his eyes fixed on the forest.
"No."
The answer came too fast.
"We're far away."
The silence lasted a few seconds.
199 ran his hands over his face.
"We shouldn't have come to this orphanage…"
He let out a weak laugh.
"When I followed you here… I thought we'd have a good life."
Another laugh.
Worse than the first.
"Look at us now."
He pointed into the darkness of the forest.
"Running on a mountain… waiting for our turn to die."
Number 22 looked at the other's chest.
"Where's the badge I gave you?"
199 didn't even answer.
"I told you to throw that away."
"And what does that change?" 199 shot back.
His voice faltered.
"We're going to die anyway."
He stared at 22.
"You shouldn't have killed those veterans."
His voice came out low, heavy with anger.
"They were going to help us reach the top."
Number 22 slowly turned his face.
His fingers tightened around the dagger at his waist.
"Help?"
He let out a short laugh.
"You still believe that?"
Number 199 shook his head, desperate.
22 continued, his voice low:
"The plan was to stop him!"
His voice trembled.
"Fifty against one!"
He stared at him without expression.
"And even so… he killed them all."
Number 199 swallowed hard.
His lips began moving silently.
Then he began murmuring to himself.
"Please…"
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Any god…"
His breathing trembled.
"I don't want to die here."
He clenched his fists.
"I swear… I swear I'll never wish for anything again…"
The voice broke.
"Just don't let me die here."
Number 22 took a deep breath.
"Listen…"
He shook his head.
"The gods don't care about us."
He pointed to the top of the mountain.
"We just need to get there."
199 raised his eyes.
22 continued:
"If we confirm that noble's suspicion…"
He clenched his fist.
"Our life changes."
His voice gained strength.
"We'll leave that life of misery behind."
"We'll never starve again."
He looked at the sky for a moment.
"A house."
"Food on the table."
"A real life."
Silence fell again among the rocks.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Crack.
The dry sound of a branch snapping echoed in the darkness of the forest.
Number 22 turned his gaze toward the trees, trying to identify where the sound came from.
In the sky, a slow cloud began to cover the moon.
Crack.
Another branch snapped.
Crack.
The third sound came even closer.
Number 22 frowned.
"Lian… did you hear that?"
He kept looking into the darkness of the forest.
"Lian?"
The moon emerged again as the cloud slowly passed.
Number 22 finally turned his head.
"Lian, answer me…"
The sentence died in his throat.
199's body was still sitting against the rock.
His head hung forward.
Black eyes remained open.
Fixed on Number 22.
For an instant, Number 22 didn't react.
As if his mind refused to accept what he was seeing.
He took a trembling step forward.
"Lian…?"
His hands shook as he grabbed his friend's head.
Number 22 froze, eyes widening.
"No…"
The voice came out weak.
"No… no…"
Tears began to run down his face as he tried to align the head back with the body.
"We were going to get out of here…"
His voice trembled.
"You heard it, didn't you?"
He swallowed hard.
"We were going to have a house…"
His fingers trembled more and more.
"Food on the table…"
The voice finally broke.
"A real life…"
Number 22 pressed Lian's head against himself.
"Is that wrong…?"
The question came out low.
Almost a whisper.
"Dreaming of a better life…"
His breathing failed.
"Eating every day…"
"Having a house…"
He clenched his teeth.
"Is that wrong?"
His voice began to rise, taken by frustration.
"Is it wrong to want to live like real people?!"
The silence of the forest did not answer.
Number 22 slowly raised his head.
His blue eyes searched the darkness around him.
And then…
they found other eyes.
Black eyes.
Cold.
Motionless.
There, just a few steps away, stood Éreon.
The katana rested in his hand.
Blood still ran down the blade.
Red drops slowly fell onto the forest leaves.
Ping.
Number 22 stared for a few seconds.
Then…
he laughed.
A low laugh.
Without any joy.
His eyes returned to Lian's head in his arms.
Then he realized.
No pain.No blood.Just a strange cold in his neck.
"I think…"
The head slipped slightly.
"the gods…"
The dark line opened slowly.
"really…"
The body no longer responded.
The head came loose.
And rolled across the dirt.
Behind him, Éreon said nothing.
He only listened to the sound of the body hitting the ground.
Then he spoke, calm:
"I know."
A small pause.
"Totsuka no Tsurugi."
He wiped the blade.
"I will fulfill my mission."
High on the mountain, a bell echoed.
Dong.
The sound spread through the silent forest.
When the echo died between the trees, Éreon had already vanished into the darkness.
Higher up the mountain, among the rocks of the slope, a small group stood still.
Only ten veterans remained.
One of them watched the forest below carefully.
"The bell rang once."
His voice was firm.
Controlled.
"That means if we hold until the next toll… we survive."
The wind passed between the trees.
Then a scream echoed in the distance.
One of the veterans tightened his grip on the spear.
"He's coming."
The veteran turned his face to the man beside him.
"Do you think we can do it, Number One?"
Number One remained silent for a few seconds.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Many died on the climb."
He looked at the mountain path.
"Of the newcomers… only two made it through."
Another distant scream echoed through the forest.
"And from the sound of that scream…"
He took the bow from his back.
"He's getting closer."
He fitted an arrow to the bow.
The string creaked as he pulled it.
"I promised Lord Telvaris I would stop him."
The arrow pointed into the darkness of the forest.
His eyes remained fixed on the mountain path.
"And that is exactly what I will do."
The veterans began to laugh as they took position.
Swords were raised.
Spears braced against the ground.
But one of them took a little longer.
His hand trembled.
Number One noticed.
"Afraid?"
The man didn't answer.
Number One kept the bowstring drawn.
"All of us are."
The wind passed between the rocks of the slope.
"We always knew this day would come."
His eyes remained fixed on the darkness of the forest.
"But someone trusted us to stop the monster climbing this mountain."
The veterans planted their feet firmly on the ground.
"And today…"
He took a deep breath.
"We hold the line."
The silence of the mountain weighed for an instant.
Number One continued:
"Death is approaching."
The bowstring creaked even more under the pressure of his fingers.
"And there's only one thing we can say."
Something moved in the darkness.
A shadow crossed the trees.
Too fast.
When the veterans realized—
Éreon was already among them.
One of the veterans reacted first.
He raised his sword and advanced to intercept.
Éreon's katana slipped past the strike with a minimal movement.
His body turned.
The black blade was already descending toward the man's neck.
Twang.
The bowstring vibrated.
The arrow ripped through the air.
Éreon stepped back.
The blade rose and deflected the projectile at the last instant.
The arrow spun through the air before vanishing into the darkness of the mountain.
The silence lasted only one second.
Number One kept the bow raised.
His eyes did not leave the boy in front of him.
Then he said:
"Not today."
Number One didn't take his eyes off Éreon.
But his voice echoed firmly among the rocks.
"Numbers two to ten."
The veterans moved immediately.
"Spread out."
He was already fitting another arrow to the bow.
"Use the darkness."
"Use the trees."
"I'll cover you."
The veterans disappeared among the trunks of the forest.
The mountain became silent again.
Éreon's black eyes fixed on Number One's light brown eyes.
The bowstring creaked again.
Another arrow was prepared.
Number One took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Éreon."
A small pause.
"Your hunt ends here."
The wind passed between the trees.
"Personally, I have nothing against you."
He inclined his head slightly.
"In fact… I admire your strength."
Then his eyes narrowed.
"I know I'm far inferior to you with a sword."
The string was drawn to its limit.
"But since the day I picked up the bow…"
His eyes did not move from Éreon.
"I have never missed."
For an instant, no one moved.
Number 3 appeared from the left between the trees.
The sword came down in a quick cut, aiming for Éreon's flank.
Éreon's katana answered first.
A short movement.
Cold.
The blade cut through the air.
Number 3 tried to retreat—
But his head separated from his body.
Blood struck the dark leaves of the forest.
"Three!"
Number 6 advanced right behind him.
The spear thrust forward in a direct strike at Éreon's chest.
The katana spun.
The blade deflected the spear tip.
Éreon's body was already inside the veteran's guard.
The katana rose.
Straight for the neck.
Twng.
The string vibrated.
The arrow crossed the space between them.
Éreon stepped back half a step.
The blade deflected the projectile.
The impact changed the angle of the strike.
The katana cut only Number 6's shoulder.
The veteran fell backward, rolling among the roots.
"Six, fall back!"
Number One's voice echoed from the darkness.
Another arrow was already prepared on the bow.
His eyes never left Éreon.
Number 3's body fell lifeless among the trees.
The silence of the mountain returned for an instant.
The hunt had begun.